January/May...What to do and see when you vacation in Big Sur California, month by month discription of what is going on in Big Sur plus area tourist activities and nearby visitors points of interest.
Some things to do and see and wonderful places to go in Big Sur Country:
• Picnicking
• Hiking
• Coastal Trails
• Day Hikes
• Redwood Forest
• Big Sur River
• Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park •
• Andrew Molera State Park
• Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
• Limekiln State Park
• Point Lobos State Reserve
• Willow Springs Day Use Area
• Salmon Creek Trail
• Partington Cove, Partington Canyon
• Jade Hunting
• Jade Cove
• Scuba Diving for Jade
• Surfing
• Salmon Creek Falls
• Soda Springs Trail
• Backpacking and backcountry
• Bird Watching
• Elephant Seals
• Other Pacific Coast Wildlife:
sea otter, humpback whale, deer, bobcat, hawks, eagles, fox and more...
• Pacific Coast Highway 1
• The Big Sur Beaches
• Sand Dollar Beach • Kayaking • Paragliding • Scuba Diving • Molera Horseback Riding • Art Galleries • Big Sur Marathon • Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off • Big Sur Station • Spirit Garden • McWay Falls • Henry Miller Memorial Library • New Camaldoli Hermitage • Mountain Biking • 4 wheeling • Old Coast Road
Click and Go Activities and Points of Interest List:
This page will help you plan your Big Sur visit and should enhance your Big Sur stay; it is not a constantly updated event calendar listing every small band that may have an engagement to play in Big Sur; it is a month by month general description what you might expect it to be like in Big Sur and some of things for you to do when you come.
January in Big Sur, New Year, Clear Skies, Gray Whales Migrate, Elephant Seals Land to Give Birth...
JANUARY 2012 in Big Sur - The best way to start out the New Year is to wake up in Big Sur! If you have never have been to a Big Sur New Year’s party you are missing out. Most all the Big Sur resorts through a New Years bash of some sort with live music, special menus and hotel room/dinner/party package deals. I have experienced the New Year party at the Ragged Point Resort many times and can tell you first hand much fun is had by all! Most resorts New Years parties are probably similar, the whole resort is one Big Party, celebration going on in the rooms, in the lounge and everywhere; people have some much fun they often return year after year.
It never gets really cold in Big Sur but January does have the year’s lowest temperatures. The cooler temperatures drive away the fog and mist making for beautiful blue daytime skies and at the night phenomenal star viewing because of the lack of pollution and ambient light. You will want to consider the forecasts when you plan your trip because the rainy season has begun but it usually includes breaks with fabulous weather.
You can now spot the California Gray Whales migrating south towards the warm Baja California seas and look for baby sea otter pups with their mothers, they are born January/March.
The now protected Elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, once over hunted to near extinction have large populations along the Big Sur Coast; in January the pregnant females begin to appear at favored beach locations and give birth to cute little babies within days. The best place to view the elephant seal activities is at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal rookery; there they have developed bluff-top boardwalks with nature interpretative signs and docents are also often on hand to answer questions. Ranger Guided Whale Watching -- January weekends 10AM the California State Parks puts on Ranger guided grey whale migration watching presentations, (831-667-2315). They meet at the vista point on Highway 1 at mile marker 37,1-mile north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
If you want to see the giant gray whales up close Virg's Landing of Morro Bay runs whale watching excursions December/June (805-772-1222) or north of Big Sur, old Fisherman's Warf Monterey has several good whale watching excursion boat companies. Ongoing Live Music & Entertainment – Both Fernwood Resort and Treebones have musicians scheduled through the winter; Fernwood is doing weekends and Treebones is Mondays? call or check their events calendars to see whats going on: Fernwood Resort (831-667-2422) Events Calendar – or – Treebones (877-424-4787) Event Calendar. Thursday January 12, 2012 - Monday January 16, 2012 -- Monterey Swingfest:at the Monterey Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa, featuring world and national swing dance champions presenting dance workshops and open dancing; swing dance lessons, workshops, competitions and contests presented by the Central Coast Swing Dance Club. January 14,15,21 & 22, 2012 --Free Tours of Ed Ricketts' Lab; free one-hour tours of the seldom viewed by the public historic Pacific Biological Laboratories building at 800 Cannery Row, Monterey (reservations: 831-646-5640); Ed Ricketts, was an American marine biologist, ecologist, and philosopher best known for Between Pacific Tides (1939), a pioneering study of intertidal ecology, and for his influence on writer John Steinbeck, which resulted in their collaboration on The Sea of Cortez (1951). January 16, 2012 --Whale Watching from Pt. Sur Lightstation, after an abbreviated walking tour to the Lighthouse, visitors will have plenty of time at the top of the rock to relax, picnic, and watch the migrating whales; this special interpretive tour will be led by trained docents with special interest in whales. Cost is $20 per person; first come, first served until capacity is reached. January 20th, 2012 --The Peking Acrobats at the Carmel's Sunset Center, world famous acrobats perform daring maneuvers balancing atop a precarious pagoda of chairs, treacherous wire walking, precision tumbling, somersaulting and gymnastics and more amazing displays of contortion, flexibility, control, skill and physical ability with agility and grace. January 21st, 2012 --Monterey Whalefest a free fun family event for all ages at the Old Fisherman's Warf that celebrates the Whales, Monterey Bay, and Old Fisherman's Wharf, benefiting many local marine conservation non-profit organizations.
FEBRUARY 2012 in Big Sur -- This month includes Lincoln's Birthday, George Washington's Birthday and Monday February 20th is the holiday Presidents Day and... February 14, 2012 –- Valentines Day: Most all of the Big Sur Restaurants are not only open holidays but they also usually have special menus to celebrate the day; why not take a scenic Big Sur PCH 1 road-trip with that special someone for a romantic experience to remember; check individual businesses, they vary. Sunday February 5th, 2012 –- Superbowl at the Restaurant at Ventana:Special drink prices and complimentary house-made kettle chips with delicious truffle dip (831-667-4242). Ranger Guided Whale Watching -- February weekends 10AM the California State Parks puts on Ranger guided grey whale migration watching presentations, (831-667-2315). They meet at the vista point on Highway 1 at mile marker 37,1-mile north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Ongoing Live Music & Entertainment – Both Fernwood Resort and Treebones have musicians scheduled through the winter; Fernwood is doing weekends and Treebones is Mondays? call or check their events calendars to see whats going on: Fernwood Resort (831-667-2422) Events Calendar – or – Treebones (877-424-4787) Events Calendar. February 22, 2012 –- Graham Lindsey at The Maiden Publick House Graham finally comes out of the shadows and down from the mountain to bring his dark blend of old-time, folk-rock and Americana roots across the U.S. on tour, his first after five years of exclusive studio work. February TBD -- It’s ok if it sprinkles mushrooms like a little rain; come join in the annual Big Sur Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off a fun chanterelle mushroom celebration at the end of February; top chefs receive awards for their mushrooms culinary creations, wild edible mushroom, displays, identification and educational hikes and talks by professional guests, a special dinner, world class wine tasting, silent auction, Sunday buffet and more all for the benefit of a good cause . The main events center around the Big Sur Lodge (831-667-3100 or free 1-800-424-4787).
The Rainy Season Generally Runs From November - February plan your Road trips accordingly and check weather and road conditions before you leave home. Always drive extra cautiously on Scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1!
Good Books About Big Sur
Northern Elephant Seal Watching on the California Central Pacific Coast
The Northern Elephant Seal, (Mirounga angustirostris) spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1000 to 5000 feet deep up to two hours. The elephant seals of the Big Sur Coast migrate thousands of miles, twice a year and actually spend only a small amount of time on the beach where they can be observed. The best time to view them is early in the year January/March when they are birthing the cute young “pups,” fighting, breeding, and molting, for a month by month breakdown on what elephant seal activities might be viewed check the elephant seal activity calendar . The seals have favored landing spots where the gather every year “called a rookery” all up and the Big Sur Central California Coast but Piedras Blancas rookery, on Highway 1 seven miles north of San Simeon on the California Central Coast is the best place to view them in their natural habitat, it is home to about 15,000 northern elephant seals and there is ample parking and boardwalks with self interpretative tours, docents to answer questions are also often available.
Males fight for the Females at Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery
March & April in Big Sur, Spring, Waterfalls, Wildflowers, Whales, Sea Otters, Live Music...
MARCH 2012 in Big Sur - March is the time Big Sur generally begins awakening from its winter slumber to welcome spring travelers. The taverns often begin to host live music and through lavish celebrations for Saint Patrick’s Day. The is often exceptionally nice weather but plan your road trip accordingly and remember the days are still short. Layering is really the best dress mode for Big Sur anytime so you can put on or peal as necessary. Hopefully winter rains have started to green the hills now; try to plan your Big Sur road trip to avoid any heavy rains but March can be an excellent time to enjoy some of Big Sur’s beautiful natural waterfalls; the most popular is McWay Falls. It’s neat to watch the California Gray Whales surface and spout as they migrate back north to their arctic feeding grounds but the mothers with calves often travel close to shore and if you are lucky enough to look down upon a pair from a rugged cliff-top the sight is truly exciting and exhilarating. Sea otters can give birth to twins but like us they generally have just one offspring (pup) at a time; the last of the baby sea otters will be born this month you see the cute little buggers alongside their mothers. Adult sea otters on the central coast weigh between 45 and 65 pounds; unlike most marine mammals they have no blubber to keep themselves warm so they depend on an abnormally high metabolic rate; they can dive up to 330 feet and eat 25% of their body weight in abalone, urchins, snails, crabs and such. You may want to thump one over the head and take it home; they make nice hats (just kidding). March TBD, 2012 --Whale Watching from Pt. Sur Lightstation, after an abbreviated walking tour to the Lighthouse, visitors will have plenty of time at the top of the rock to relax, picnic, and watch the migrating whales; this special interpretive tour will be led by trained docents with special interest in whales. Cost is $20 per person; first come, first served until capacity is reached. Saturday March 17, 2012 --Saint Patrick's Day
: Don't forget to wear green, everybody's Irish!
Get down and dirty in Monterey! Saturday March 24thBig Sur Mud Run: wet dirty 5 mile obstacle course starting and ending at Freeman Stadium on the CSUMB to benefit local charities.
APRIL 2012 in Big Sur - In April the rains become less frequent but the streams are running high, clear and deep making April and May prime times to admire some of the Big Sur’s beautiful natural waterfalls. It starts to become obviously spring time when the emerald green coastal hillsides and Santa Lucia Mountain meadows burst with the bright colors of the California poppy and other native wildflowers; while you are taking that short hike to one of Big Sur’s lovely waterfalls keep your eyes open for one of my favorite Big Sur wildflowers, the precious wild iris. Just like the rest of nature wakening from its wintery daze so does the tourist industry.
The Point Sur Lighthouse begins its Moonlight Tours, (831) 625-4419, there are Saturday and Sunday tours year round and mid week morning tours are available during the summer.
Weekend live music entertainment becomes available at some of the usual venues like the Big Sur River Inn,Henry Miller Library and Fernwood Resort and Tavern.
Sunday April 29th -- join in the famous 27th annual Big Sur Marathon, the worlds most beautiful competative run takes place from Big Sur to Carmel along scenic Pacific Coast Highway One, the nation's first nationally designated Scenic Highway. Course open 6 hours, a 13:40 pace. April 8th, 2012 –- Easter Sunday: Most all of the Big Sur Restaurants are not only open holidays but they also usually have special menus to celebrate the day; why not load up the family in the car and take a scenic PCH 1 road-trip for a fun holiday experience to remember; check individual businesses, they vary. Tuesday April 24th, 2012 –- Nepenthe's 63rd Birthday!: (831-667-2394), a favorite historic Big Sur eatery of tourists and locals alike, also associated with the wonderful Café Kevah and Pheonix Gift Shop/Art Gallery.
If you like to mountain bike or 4X4 a nice late spring or early summer ride (don’t go after a recent rain, you want the dirt road to be dry but the later it gets the dustier) try the Old Coast Road which runs from the Bixby Bridge to Andrew Molera State Park. Here is a nice map, description, and photos of the trip:
Beautiful Natural Big Sur California Waterfalls & hiking trails and Native Wildflowers
Books About California Wildflowers
Big Sur Beautiful Natural Waterfalls:
Black Swift Falls; highest Big Sur falls
Salmon Creek Waterfalls
I have always thought there was something wonderful almost magical about waterfalls and the Big Sur has many beautiful natural waterfalls, some run year round but all are at their very best shortly after the rains, late February/early May. My favorite and most often visited because it is so easy, is Salmon Creek Falls, you can see it from the highway, to get to the base is just a hop skip and a jump. If you are feeling more adventurous and have time for a nice
Pfeiffer Falls
hike you can take the Ragged Point trail down to the beach and look back on the highest waterfall on the Big Sur Coast, Black Swift Falls. Another wonderful waterfall that involves a little hike but is well worth it is Pfeiffer Falls in Big Sur State Park.
Lovely Big Sur Wildflowers:
The area has a very mellow climate and many many microclimates; you will find something in bloom any time of year but springtime is when the wildflower blooms are most pronounced especially after an extremely wet year or fire. Often mid to late March heralds in the first spring blooms like the calla lilies, bright yellow sour grass and wild iris, then usually April and May come a profusion of California Poppies and Lupines. Some more of my favorite Big Sur wildflowers are the Orange Bush Monkey Flower and Blue Eyes; I also love the bright fire-red Indian paintbrush and Lupines come in every shade of blue to deep purple and white to yellow along the Big Sur Coast. Some very contented sometimes welcome sometimes not non-native beautiful flowering plants do so well on the Big Sur coast that they have become wild like, ice plant, pride of Madera, and pampas grass.
May & June in Big Sur, Run Marathon! picnic, hike, camp, ...
More Big Sur Wildflower Photos:
MAY 2012 in Big Sur - Take advantage of the brief lull before Memorial Day Weekend and come to Big Sur for the perfect hike or picnic. So officially the tourist season does get started with Memorial Day Weekend and as mentioned there is a brief peaceful lull prior to THE weekend and one short one after too but in June all the kids get out of school and everything starts to get busy. Not to worry, just bring your patience and try not to be in a hurry, come to Big Sur to RELAX. Big Sur tourists are for the most part friendly folk so feel free to mix and mingle and enjoy them too! Be sure to check trail conditions if you are planning a hike or back country camp trip: Ventana Wilderness Website Trail Conditions Reports.
Live music and entertainment gets going, check the calendars at places like the Big Sur River Inn,Henry Miller Library (they have a new stage and movie screen) and Fernwood Resort and Tavern . May 3-6, 2012 --32nd Annual Steinbeck Festival, to take place on in Salinas, California, in collaboration with The Woody Guthrie Centennial, a world-wide celebration with the Grammy Museum & the Woody Guthrie Archives. For thousands of years, writers, artists and musicians have been giving voice to our stories, our hopes, our dreams. Celebrate the power of one voice through story, song and image in the work of Steinbeck, Woody Guthrie and others. Related events in Salinas, Monterey, Big Sur and in literary locales throughout the world! This year, the Steinbeck Festival International Fringe Fest will reach places far off places like Cebu, Prague, Sag Harbor, Jerusalem, and others.
May is a month for U.S. folks to be patriotic, May 19th is Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day falls on Monday May 28th.
JUNE 2012 in Big Sur - Sometime mid-May to June the emerald green grasses of Big Sur turn golden but for a time spring flowers linger and it is truly beautiful and the weather can be marvelous at times but sometimes breezy then the summer fogs begin. The summer fogs play a big role in the Big Sur climate, they water the plants and add a mystical ambiance and can be unbelievably beautiful when viewed from above. If they should really irritate you take a fun road trip a bit inland; the fogs often clear in the afternoon and/or are just confined to the lower elevations of the very edge of the coast.
Tourism industry service people get in the season groove, tourist related business expand their offerings and Big Sur does love her visitors. The Junior Ranger Program, guided nature walks and nature discussions begin in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and at the Campfire Center of the San Simeon Creek Campgroundof Hearst San Simeon State Park; at the very end of May the Ventana Wildlife Society opens their natural history museum, the "Discovery Center" at Andrew Molera State Park.
Hang Gliding Big Sur Video, Near Plaskett Creek and Sand Dollar Beach
Rent a Hybrid
Big Sur Station; Ranger Station Visitor Information Center
The Big Sur Station ("Ranger Station") (831) 667-2315. On the Pacific Coast Highway 1 mile south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and the Big Sur Lodge; 36° 14.864, -121° 46.906. Big Sur Station is as close to a "visitor center" as Big Sur has. Forestry personnel are available during normal business hours 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM (PST) and have thorough Big Sur knowledge and information to answer your questions about hiking, camping, road conditions and more. At the Nature Store and gift shop you can pick up trail maps, books, posters, and lots of other information and stuff. They also have public restrooms. No public telephones but cell phones work in this area. This is also the location for the trailhead that starts to Sykes Hot Springs.
"Big Sur is one of the most beautiful sites in California (to hang glide). Pilots can often see whales in the ocean below during their migrations. It is suitable for novice to advanced HG/PG. Count on having a beautiful, smooth, sled ride, but soaring flights can be had on pre and post frontal days. "
April, May & June the perfect time for Picnicking Central California...Best Big Sur Picnic Spots...
Best Picnic Spots near Big Sur:
One really fun thing to do near Big Sur especially in the spring is picnic. Not only can picnics be a pleasurable exciting activity but it’s possible to save some money too if you budget doesn’t allow every meal at an expensive Big Sur Restaurant, (also there is no Taco Bell within hundreds of miles of Big Sur). The best picnic spots on the Big Sur Coast are many and the choices are almost endless. I have picnicked along Pacific Coast Highway many times and I will share with you a few of my favorite spots. The best spot to go will depend on the weather and a few other considerations like how big of a picnic you plan. On days when the weather is nice I have had a great picnic sitting on a blanket of one of the scenic turnouts with a good friend, bottle of wine, cheese, cold cuts, and fruit; enjoyable, simple, easy, inexpensive or expensive, however you want. I have also enjoyed a plain brown bag lunch picnic by the sea as well. Here are some of my favorite picnic spots along the PCH 1 starting South moving towards the North: Shamel County Park in Cambria is far from Big Sur but worth mentioning because it has so much to offer as a picnic/outdoor party spot that I must include it, it is next to the beach but protected from the weather by a fence and hedge, has mass picnic tables and group barbecue pit grills as well as small ones, a playground, a gazebo, a community swimming pool, large grassy area and restrooms! * San Simeon Natural Preserve in the Hearst San Simeon State Park has a few picnic tables near a parking lot by beach or if it’s windy and cool cross to the land side of the highway just across the creek from San Simeon Creek Campground there is and area with picnic tables, barbecue grills, running water and restrooms that are protected by a small bluff, all that great picnic stuff is available for free plus a nice disabled accessible self interpretive nature trail/board walk * Hearst Memorial State Beach , an all time favorite picnic spot they have everything required plus a pretty long white sand beach and nearby Sebastian’s General Store * Ragged Point has all required and more, espressos, convince store, million dollar view and nature trail to the beach * Willow Creek Vista Point and Picnic Area * Sand Dollar Beach Picnic Area is excellent, long white sand beach, tables, barbecue grills, almost everything but no close by connivance store so don’t forget the mustard * Mill Creek Day Use Area has similar offerings to Willow Creek, rocky beach access and restrooms * Limekiln State Park has a wonderful picnic spot next to the beach * Lucia has a few nice ocean view bluff-top picnic tables and close supporting connivance store next to some restrooms * Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park has a nice picnic area in the redwoods, tables, water and restrooms * Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park has several nice picnic spots with everything close by * Andrew Molera State Park has a nice picnic area and beach * Point Lobos State Reserve is also a nice daytime park to picnic and play
Fun Outdoor Games
Traveling the Scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1, places to see and things to do at the end...
Scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1 - One of the most fun activities in the area is to drive the scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1; it’s a beautiful fun and interesting drive every mile from San Luis Obispo to Monterey; Popular Mechanics listed it at the top of it’s picks of the 20 Greatest Driving Roads in the World . It is often picked as the scenic alternative to quicker route inland via the 101 Freeway. For current California Highway conditions call 1-800-427-7623, or on the internet you can check California Highway Conditions:
PCH 1 and all California Highway Conditions at the California Department of Transportation website Mobile.So if you’re just passing through Big Sur on your way to Monterey or San Luis Obispo here are some event calendar links so you can see what’s going on wherever you are going…
Go On an Adventure! Explore North of Big Sur; sightseer links: fun and interesting visitor activities and tourist points of interest! Follow these exciting links and start planning your Pacific Coast vacation today!
Google Search Central California Visitor Information Websites Including www.big-sur-lodging.com for the best Central California Coast tourist infomation, travel tips & tricks...
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I have provided this informatin on this web page to help you have wonderful vacation or trip. I have made this information current, complete and good to the best of my abilities but everything is subject to change at any time and I have to relieve myself of any responsibility for you, I have no control over how you use the provided camping information and accept no liability for anything that happens to you while you visit and camp on the Big Sur Coast or anywhere else.
Looking to head south to Hearst Castle Country after your Big Sur Coast Trek? Visit Hearst Castle Hotels Website:
A complete directory of lodging accommodations that
lists all resorts, motels, inns and hotels near Hearst Castle,
San Simeon, California. San Simeon Chamber of Commerce information;
visitor information and tourist guide for Hearst Castle,
San Simeon area activities and attractions.
I do my best to keep the Big Sur Camping Information here correct and current if you see anything that needs to be added or have some Big Sur Camping tricks or tips you would like to add please contact me, also for any:
Big Sur Beautiful Natural Waterfalls:
Black Swift Falls; highest Big Sur falls
Salmon Creek Waterfalls
The Rainy Season Generally Runs From November - February plan your Road trips accordingly and check weather and road conditions before you leave home. Always drive extra cautiously on Scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1!
Best Picnic Spots near Big Sur: